In a Press Conference held today on the premises of Exportadora Bananera Noboa, business manager, Arturo Ycaza, stated that the ALDHU accusation did not reflect a true account of the facts.

First: Noboa Banana Exports purchases product from two prestigious American firms with authorized registration in Ecuador: Dow Agroscience and Dupont.

Second: It is important to point out that the registration of pest-control substances with governmental agencies is required for their use in Ecuador, wherefore the National Pest Control Substances Committee exists, comprised of the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Environment and the Ministry of Agriculture, represented by SESA (Servicio Ecuatoriano de Sanidad Agropecuario).

According to the very accusation of the ALDHU, THE COMMITTEE DID AUTHORIZE THE COMMERCIALIZATION AND SALE OF GREEN LABEL MANCOZEB PESTICIDE.

This pesticide is used on bananas in Brazil, Central America, Costa Rica (25-30 applications annually) Colombia (30 applications annually) Philippines (50 applications annually) and Ecuador (10-14 applications annually). Besides which, it is registered in Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Philippines, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, the United States, Canada, Germany, France, the UK and Japan.

It is used by different crops besides bananas, including grains, vegetable produce, tomatoes, mangos, fruits, broccoli, and alfalfa.

This accusation affects the prestige of our firms within the Noboa Group, stated Arturo Ycaza, who pointed out that no information has been recorded regarding any employee who has been taken ill by contamination during the fumigation and that LAN, following orders of the Civil Aviation Association, carries out annual Colinesterasa testing to prevent its pilots and ground personnel from experiencing negative effects from the use of pesticides in general.

Guayaquil, 22 September 2008